![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
You are in: World: Europe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]()
|
![]() |
Thursday, 24 May, 2001, 18:48 GMT 19:48 UK
Serbs retake Kosovo buffer zone
![]() The Serbian flag now flies in the buffer zone
Serb forces have taken control of most of the remaining part of a buffer zone separating Kosovo from the rest of Serbia.
The operation to resume control of the Presevo Valley in southern Serbia has the backing of the Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, K-For. Nato imposed the zone at the end of its 1999 bombing campaign against Yugoslavia to protect international peacekeepers and Kosovo's ethnic Albanians. Booby traps Some troops came under fire, but there were no casualties in what was considered to be an isolated incident. Reconnaissance soldiers scoured the area for mines and booby traps left behind by the Albanian guerrillas. One tank was damaged when it hit a landmine. Yugoslav authorities denied Albanian accusations that they had killed a prominent guerrilla commander during the operation. They said Ridvan Cazimi, also known as Commander Lleshi, was shot dead in infighting between Albanian factions. Stability The return of Serb troops is being seen by the international community as an important step towards bringing peace and stability to a volatile and dangerous corner of the Balkans.
"It is a sign that democratic forces trust us and a sign that we can achieve more with political tools and methods than through violence," he said. Over the past two months, the Yugoslavs have already deployed in much of the 5km (3 mile) zone, but the last part is the most sensitive because of the rebels' presence. Before the troops moved in, many of the Albanian fighters had already left their hilltop hideaways and handed over their weapons to K-For. Militant on the loose However, uncertainty still surrounds the most militant Albanian commander, Muhamed Xhemaili.
Mr Xhemaili's whereabouts is unknown, but there is speculation that he has escaped to Albania. More than 50 of his men surrendered to K-For earlier this week and handed over four truckloads of arms and ammunition. Nato issued the Serbs with strict rules of engagement and said it was confident that the joint army and police force will act with restraint.
|
![]() |
See also:
![]() Internet links:
![]() The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Europe stories now:
![]() ![]() Links to more Europe stories are at the foot of the page.
![]() |
![]() |
Links to more Europe stories
|
![]() |
![]() |
^^ Back to top News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |